*This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.*
Florida police are investigating after jars of human tongues, some dating back 50 years, were found hidden in the crawlspace of a Gainesville home.
ABC 20 reports that inspectors discovered the jars while performing an inspection on a house located off of off NW 16th Avenue in Gainesville’s Briarwood neighborhood. Dr. Ronald A. Baughman previously owned the home. Baughman is a former University of Florida researcher and a professor emeritus.
According to the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry, Baughman was an assistant professor of oral medicine in 1971. A spokesperson for the school said Baughman worked at the College of Dentistry until he retired in 2002.
According to police, investigators found around six to eight jars containing human tongues in formaldehyde.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Baughman published research on cankers sores, oral cancer, and other related oral issues “while affiliated with [the] University of Florida and other places,” Research Gate reports.
The Miami Herald reports that the woman who currently owns the home indicated that the tongues were “part of her ex-husband’s research” while he worked at the school. When the couple divorced, he left the tongues behind.
Authorities sent the remains to a medical examiner for identification, according to Gainesville Police Chief Inspector Jorge Campos.
“With the University of Florida being here, it’s something we sometimes see but not frequently,” Campos said.
Authorities will not know whether a criminal investigation is warranted until the medical examiner’s findings are complete.
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is our latest episode.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
